The very first question which will attract you towards this session is how can a clown be so special. Yes, he is special and he is unique. He is the Only ISO clown from India. He Fools people by offering happiness and smile in their life. This session will give you the chance to known Pravin Tulpule closely

1) Welcome to the platform of Indiacafe24.com. It’s for the first time that we got this opportunity to meet an artist who is unique in his talent. Well Pravin before we go far will request you to introduce Pravin the Clown to our readers?

Answer: Hello… who Pravin? I am foolingyou…. not exactly fooling you, but yes…. I am “foolingyou”… as in my name is foolingyou, “Happy Foolingyou”….. As in Bond… James Bond. I am a Clown, the Only ISO Clown in the Country, just….. foolingyou.

2) Earlier you were a part of Navy team. How you became a part of it and why you are now not a part of it?

Answer: Oh yes, I was very much a part of the India Navy and am very proud of it. Navy will remain close to my heart, always. I did spend many years in the Navy, but realized that to do what I wanted to do, I had to discard the white uniform. That was the transformation from Lt Commander Pravin Tulpule in his pristine white uniform to “Happy Foolingyou” the Clown, big shoes, colourful costumes, a red nose and of course a smile on his face. A silly goofy Clown who made making people happy h7s life mission.

3) After leaving navy there are N numbers of options available in front of you to join then why you decided to become a clown and make people smile?

Answer: True, a whole lot of options would have been available had I decided to look for them but I had set my heart on being a Clown… so the thought of some other job never crossed my mind.

People forget what you spoke or did to them, but they always remember how you made them feel. And if you make them feel happy, that emotion remains with them, permanently etched. That’s what “Happy Foolingyou” seeks to do… make every soul he meets happy.

4) If we ask who inspired you to take this art form professionally what will be your answer?

Answer : Inspiration…. almost every magician or performer I met or saw was an inspiration. If you look around, you will find hundreds of magicians, excellent professionals who have spent their life time perfecting their skills. But almost all of them focus on surprising their audiences, creating suspense around their magic. They strive for the “WOW” n “HOW” reactions from the public.

My aim, as a Clown, is different. I want my audiences to go back feeling “I dont know what or how he did it…but he made me laugh, forget my problems for a while and made me happy.

That was the main inspiration, making people happy.

5) Behind every man there is one woman as people say this, so for you who is the lady?

Answer: A lady? Any single lady?
No…..I have a full ladies compartment behind me, and its jut growing…. starting with my Mother who used to be my first spectator when I was a school kid. I am not sure if I fooled her with my tricks, but she appeared to be amused and happy.

And not just she, every lady I have met, interacted or entertained is an inspiration. And so are the men, my friends, colleagues, fellow magicians…. every one… (do I sound diplomatic?)

6)Why you selected the name Pinto for stage performance?

Answer: That was an easy task….. being the youngest of the siblings, I am called Pintoo… that my pet name…. I think somewhere along the line, the Clown tripped and fell and lost one “o”…. Thus Pintoo became Pinto…. Mysto Pinto…

7) Have you received any professional training for presenting yourself perfectly in the role of a clown?

Answer: Not really. No formal training as such. It’s been a long slow process of trial n error.

One has to realize that just as buying a stethoscope doesn’t make you a doctor, wearing a color clown costume and doing funny things doesn’t make you a Clown immediately. One needs to understand the psychology of a clown, the psychology of the audience. One needs to observe people around, see their reactions and develop your own unique character. It’s a long journey but thoroughly enjoyable, one that I wish never ends.

8) People say that you are a clown magician. Tell something about this combo and how it happened?

Answer: It’s again an experiment that worked well. Happy Foolingyou is a clown who attempts to stun people with his magic… but his magic never happens, it fails. Happy is a clumsy character who forgets what he is doing, can’t remember colors and names. He goofs up, mixes up between boys and girls… etc.

So more than the magic it’s a fun thing happening when Happy Foolingyou is around. Plenty of goofiness, silly question answers and lots of shouting, laughing. But the interaction is never vulgar or below the belt.

9) So far in India we heard about clowns and even saw them in circus entertaining the audience, we guess you also enjoyed circus in earlier time. So how is the experience for you being a clown and watching a clown performing on stage as audience.

Answer: Circuses always fascinated me, they even do, now. I never miss a chance to visit one. I even love watching street performances of all types. And being on stage, while I am performing, I still keep my antenna out and try to gauge the audience, their reactions and adjust my show accordingly. These are all learning processes whether I am performing or watching.

10) How it feels when people and specially children laugh and enjoy your activities as a clown?

Answer: That’s a feeling that cannot be put in words easily. When a child says “Happy, you are so funny” or “Happy you are so foolish”… that’s the certificate that says I have done well, that’s my award. When a Mom come up and says “You were amazing with the kids”…. that gives me a high… and if a Dad or elder shakes my hand and says… “Your Clown is very smart”. I have achieved…

11) Few minutes back we came to know that you are also a poet, so share few lines of your favorite poem written by you.

Answer: Poet! Hmmmm yes I like to write and I love to rhyme…… that ends up in poetry… I post them on social media and also in a folder called “Words and Rhymes” on my other site www.tulpule.weebly.com. Typically I love all that I write but there are a few that are very close to my heart…. this is one of them…

YOUR NAME I WROTE……….

Your name I wrote, on the clouds.The wind blew it away.Your name I wrote, on the seas,The surf bobbed it away.

Your name I wrote, on the sands,The waves washed it away.Your name I wrote, on the snow,Sunlight melted it away.

Your name I wrote, on the heaven,The angels stole it away.Your name I wrote, on the rocks,The rains soaked it away.

Answer: Happy Foolingyou performs everywhere. Schools, malls, hospitals, orphanages, old age homes, slums, beaches, streets, Birthday parties, parking lots, Corporate functions, family gatherings. Because I firmly believe that Clowns are NOT just for children I perform for one and all… there is always something for everyone in the show. And I always try and inject some socially relevant message in the act, be it cleanliness, littering, water conservation, saving electricity, going green, obeying traffic rules or healthy eating. This makes people

13) Are you tied up with any organization for your promotional acts? Are you attached with organizations for social work?

Answer: Promotional act, no agency is involved but I get almost all my publicity through social media, word of mouth and references from friends and acquaintances.
Also the various NGOs that I share my time with also give a very wide exposure to my activities.

Toy bank (www.toybank.org) is very close to my heart. There are other NGOs with whom I work on a regular basis HFI (Hemophilia Federation of India), VIDYA, LEAD, CANCER CURATIVE, DS RESEARCH etc.

Visits to hospitals and pediatric wards, sensitizing lay public about the evils of tobacco etc are my favorites.

14) Can you recall that day when you gave your first stage performance? Share the experience with us.

Answer: One day, sometime in 1974-75, I decided to put up a show, a magic show and entertain my friends for a fee. So I and a friend printed tickets depicting a rabbit pulling out a magician out of a top hat, using carbon pape2. My dad’s dressing gown became my Magicians Robe and the living room was converted into a theatre. All the tricks I had, some 50 plus in my collection were shown and yet the audience, my friends, wanted to see more. That’s one experience I cherish.

15) How your family reacted when you disclosed the fact that you are going to take up the profession of a clown?

Answer: It was a shock but they took it fine, though initially my father scowled at the thought of giving up a well paying, secure and stable Government job, my Mother encouraged me to follow my calling. My friend’s n family have always stood by my side, even in times of professional uncertainity, stress and associated problems.

16) Share some WOW moments of your career as a clown?

Answer: Every act, every moment is a WOW moment. Anytime a kid laughs heartily, a mom smiles or the dad shakes my hand is a special moment. Every time an elder nods his head in appreciation or approval of what I am doing is WOW. A hug by an unknown person or a smile from a stranger is very special too.

But there was this lady, a Mom who once, In Bangalore, after my show, took the microphone and shared her experience with the audience. She mentioned that her son who was earlier a bad eater had started eating well listening to the messages I shared on the stage. I was elated. That was indeed WOW…

17) What are your other passions in life?

Answer: Anything to do with people is exciting.
Attempting anything that fun, exciting and legal gets me interested. If I can learn a new craft and share it with anyone later, I will do it.
Miming, theatre, puppets, rifle shooting, archery, painting, Cooking, Tarot, face reading, gardening, papier Mache…. you name it and most probably I would have done it, my list is open ended

Answer: Hmmmmm. You got me here…. they each add up to make me… Happy Foolingyou.

The Naval Officer brings discipline, uprightness and National pride, Pravin adds the moral values, social sensibilities etc while Pinto Baba uses all these to make people around him happy. A funny combo Na.?

Neither can survive in isolation, all extensions of my breathe.

19) What are your future plans?

Answer: Dreams…. a Clown School and starting a “Caring Clowns” group that would visit hospitals, make kids smile, sensitize people and spread good cheer all around…..

20) Describe Pravin Tulpule in One line?

Answer: One line? Now you must be joking….

That’s the most difficult of all your questions….

Let me try…

A live character spreading happiness and smiles through magic, clowning, poetry, cooking and sharing….

If I haven’t made you smile or feel happy, I will try again and again and again.

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